Friday 25th September - Best get it over with...

Day 2 and "who will volunteer to take a canoe out then?" Well, it had to happen at some point, so I thought I'd dive in at the deep end.

Once more we split into 2 groups, half in kayaks and half in canoes. After collecting a one-bladed paddle and blue barrel for lunch and valuables (note to self - take extra drybags next time!) we loaded trailers and eventually headed off to Brown Howe on Coniston. Before long we were changed and on the water.

Now, I have no idea why I've never really fancied canoeing, but now that I've spent a day in one, paddling on a lake, initially with and, later, into a (slight) headwind, I'm starting to rationalise my thoughts. Think of it like this; you kneel in a canoe in order to paddle it. That is, you spend your time on your knees in something resembling a plastic bath-tub. A plastic bath-tub that has grit in it and soon has half an inch of water slopping about as well. The bottom of the bath-tub wobbles like a stiff jelly as you paddle through ripples - fortunately we never saw any waves.

You paddle your bath-tub primarily on one side of its hull which means that your upper body becomes twisted and your shoulder start to ache. This happens quite quickly, but that's ok because, soon after it starts to ache, your shoulder starts to burn. So you change position and paddle on the other side of your bath-tub - only to find that your other shoulder starts to ache. So you resign yourself to spending your day with burning shoulders. It also dawns on you that all the grit, sharp and jaggy, that gathered under your knee, digging into it, piercing your your (expensive) drysuit and turning it into a teabag, washes across the bottom of the bath-tub and congregates under the other knee. Where it annoys just as much as it did under the first knee but can now make a whole new bunch of holes in your drysuit. Also, because you are not used to paddling left-handed, the canoe goes in every direction except the one in which you want to travel.

After a quick lunch stop you get do do it all again only this time into a headwind. Which means that your wobbly, grit and water filled bath-tub is totally unsteerable no matter which side of the bloody thing you paddle on. And, because of the headwind, you put twice as much effort into your paddling which really impresses the muscles in your shoulders...

I hope that I soon learn how to paddle a canoe efficiently and am trying really hard to look forward to the next chance I have to put myself through it all again...

Thursday 24th September - Back to School...

First day of term at Dallam starting my NCFE Level 3 "Certificate for the Outdoors" course.

As expected and unsurprisingly, lots of faff sorting out paperwork for late entrants, but plenty of tea drinking and getting to know each other, the Centre, kit, and Steve and Mark our Director and Instructor. 16 of us starting out, wide range of backgrounds, ages and reasons for taking the course. It will be interesting to see how many of us complete...

Off to Fellfoot (Windermere) in the afternoon, split into kayak and canoeing groups. I deftly avoided the canoes and spent a couple of hours learning how to lift and carry a kayak, which end is the front, what a spray deck does and how to play Quiddich in kayaks!

Sunday 13th September - Ramsey Island

Some careful consideration was given to time and tides as the streams in the mouth of Ramsey Sound and around the headlands can get pretty rapid, but we were paddling at neaps and conditions couldn't have been better for a trip to Ramsey Island. This turned out to be a day of making right decisions and will live in my mind for a very long time to come. One of our books suggests that a paddle around Ramsey is one of the best days paddling you'll have in the UK. We only went across to the southern tip and back, but it still made for one of my best days on the water, ever. The seals were fun, but the dolphins were something else entirely! The scenery wasn't bad either and the paddling (given the strength of the current and overfalls off Meinin Duon at the south western tip of Ramsey) was, ermm, interesting as well (there are no photos of the interesting paddling!). Of course, we had to celebrate our return with yet more tea and fruitcake with our new found friends at the Porth Clais carpark...

Sue leads us toward Ramsey Island

One of those "WOW...." moments!

East toward Solva from lunch stop on Carreg yr Esgob

The way home: somebody had to be there to appreciate it!

Saturday 12th September - Sunshine and Solva

Having discovered the cafe and loos at Porth Clais it was a no-brainer when it came to deciding where to launch; blazing sunshine and flat calm - we were off to Solva for a "there and back" paddle along the coast south of St David's. Parking and launching cost a grand total of £2 and the conversation with the harbourmaster was free. It is a while since I discussed the benefits of adding old engine oil to creosote in order to improve the latters preservative value, but it seemed although everyone else in the carpark had heard of doing just that, the HM hadn't. I imagine that he spent the next few days wondering if he should change the oil in his car a little sooner than planned!

Anyway, we were quickly on our way, leaving the harbour as the tide fell away an soon pootling along the coast exploring the many inlets and caves. This was no rough water survival test; in fact the only ripples came as our boats cut their way across the small bays and inlets of St Brides Bay.

Inner harbour, Porth Clais

Cave at Caer Bwdy

Green Scar off Solva with the headland of Dinas Fawr

After a couple of hours of fantastic scenery and exploring we left the coast for a while and made directly for Black and Green Scars, rocky islands about a kilometer off the entrance to Solva. A couple of small sailing dinghies were virtually stationary and fishermen in their open boats were pottering around, checking pots and trolling for mackerel - the one I chatted with had caught only 2 over the whole day, blaming the dolphins and sunny weather for chasing them away. That sounded fine to us!

The yatch club in Solva provided tea and Welsh Cakes for lunch which we ate while watching kids leaping off the harbour wall and making the most of the weather. The thought of more tea on our return to Porth Clais made it easy enough to clamber back into the boats and paddle west again, this time close inshore for more caving and rock hoping along a truly beautiful part of our coastline.

Inside looking out - The Cradle

Wreck near Porth y Rhaw (and a sunken ship)

For a while we tagged along with a flotilla of kayakers in a guided group, eavesdropping their guides commentary on some of the coastal features, particularly the rock climbing (on the off chance that we might have a play later in the week), but before long we were on our own again and pulling back into Porth Clais. Tea and fruitcake made a fitting end to a glorious days paddle (and the fruitcake is very highly recommended)!

Friday 11th September - A "bitch" of a day!

We should have been on the bus from St David's to St Justinian's but, due to a panic over a lost wallet followed by a jog through the city (hah!) to the Police Station where a nice young lady in uniform failed to say "'Ello, 'elllo, I'll be 'ere now" but did reintroduce me to my wallet, we ended up up walking the extra couple of miles instead. No worries, it was a bright day and the tarmac led us mostly downhill along steep sided lanes, hedgerows dripping with blackberries and views of Carn Hen off to our north. Arriving at SJ's was a slight let-down; there isn't a tea shop, but there are loos and fantastic view across Ramsey Sound to the Bitches, the rocks that create some of the best rapids in the UK. Or some of the scariest water to kayak through, depending on your view!

St David's lifeboat slipway and Ramsey Sound

After "ooing" and "aahing" at the views across the sound, we wandered off to the south along the Pembrokeshire coastal path, easy walking with lots of interest; boats of tourists heading out, hoping to see seals and dolphins, the Bitches and the standing waves settling down as the tide ebbed, plenty of birds and butterflies and amazing colours in the heather and gorse alongside the path. We both commented on the numbers of butterflies that we saw; little white ones, Red Admirals and Painted Ladies - these having migrated from North Africa, well over a thousand miles away. Bloody tourists!

Sue enjoying the view from a headland above Ramsey Sound

Painted Ladies - on holiday from North Africa?

After an hour or so easy walking we started to turn toward the east as we dropped off the headland of Pen Dal-aderyn. Now the focus of our attention was the islands of the northern side of St Brides Bay and the hidden gems of Porth Clais and Carfei Bay - potential launch sites for kayaks later in the week. The path zigged and zagged around small bays and inlets, gently leading us down towards the water then back up over headlands and new views; close-up of individual cottages or wildflowers, further afield to Green Scar, off Solva, and to Skokholm and Skomer Islands in the far distance. If Carlsberg made coastal paths, they would have to try hard to beat this one!

Ramsey Island and Carreg Fran across St Non's Bay

Eventually we became aware that one of the inlets was bigger than most, and there was a tiny harbour at its end. Even better, a kiosk with tea and cakes! Porth Clais - definitely no contender for the best port in a storm, but one not to be missed.

Porth Clais - maybe the friendliest of many friendly places in Pembrokeshire

After a brew it was back up out of the harbour and over the hill toward Carfei Bay. Just befoe the end of this section of the path there is a slight detour to St Non's well and chapel. Legend has it that when Non gave birth to a son, David (Dewi) during a storm here, the spring suddenly appeared. Either way, the location of the ruined chapel of St Non, surrounded by iron age, pagan standing stones, St Non's well and shrine and the more modern chapel, with its William Morris stained glass, is stunning. It is no surprise that the house above the chapel is used as a retreat.

William Morris stained glass in the chapel of Our Lady and St Non

From St Non's it was a quick mooch along to Carfei Bay where Sue was waiting, perched on a convenient bench, for me and my camera. Ten minutes later we were back on the edge of St David's and, in a spirit of total recklessness, didn't bother with the bus (due the following morning) and hoofed it all the way back to Ocean Haze!

Thursday 10th September - Ludlow: Sausage City

We're off! St David's in Pembrokeshire for a few days with an overight in Ludlow on the way. Why Ludlow? Jacobean and medieval architecture (i.e. Olde Worlde charm) and, apparently, food. As luck would have it, this pretty little Shropshire market town was hosting its annual food festival the weekend after our visit, so the Thursday market was brim full of specialist food stalls. As well as stocking up on goodies for lunch, there were plenty of "taster" opportunities and Curley could well have added additional padding during our stay!

Where are the sausages then.....

"The Feathers", Ludlow

According to the New York Times, "the most handsome Inn in the world"

Jacobean bay windows. Really??

St Laurence's Church tower above more timber frames

Tuesday 8th September - Helvellyn's Edges

Andy and Virginia had been staying with us for a few days and the weather had not really been playing ball, but the forecast looked promising and we were all eager to get out. Andy and I had a think and he was keen to wander over "one of the big ones" while I fancied something out Patterdale way. No brainer then; Helvellyn by Striding Edge and down by Swirral...

Patterdale was, as ever, busy so we ended up parking at the steamer pier on the lake. Handy (loos and brews as required) carparking and an alternative start by walking into the Glenridding valley before turning south and up to Lanty's Tarn, through the woods and contouring around until picking up the path to the Hole in the Wall. Unfortunately we were about half way up to the wall when Sue decided that enough was enough: she had dropped a couple of painkillers but her tendonitis was giving her a lot of grief and she had to turn back. Virginia went with her leaving Andy and I to continue, estimating that we'd be back at the car by 4 pm.

Once at the Wall we joined the masses heading onto the Edge, but all was good with the sun reflecting off Morecombe Bay and Chapel Island standing out in silhouette. We were soon over Striding Edge and broke north west to avoid the loose ground before hitting the broad summit plateau just short of the shelter.

After a quick munch and swig of juice we were off again, passing a dozen or so folk as we dropped onto then crossed Swirral Edge. Catstycam was left for another day as we thought the girls could only drink so much tea in Patterdale and we didn't want to be back late! Once clear of Red Tarn we took the track down towards the old lead mine workings in Glenridding, following the beck past the converted mine buildings and YHA onto the Greenside road and eventually the carpark. The girls and dogs were sitting by the lake as we landed, 5 minutes late and ready for a brew!

Helvellyn and the Edges; 8 miles, 2900 feet

Photos to follow.....

Saturday 5th September - Cumbrian fayre; Lowick Show

Andy and Virginia were visiting and it was the morning after the night before for me; a lazy day and plenty of coffee in store. Until somebody suggested a run out to the Lowick Show. Thanks Viginia ; )

In fact it was a fun way to get some life back into myself; the sun shone, helping to dry the mud off our boots, the cakes looked grand and next year Sue says that she'll enter a fruit cake in the home baking competition (though my inspiration was to go home and make chutney...)

A bunch of Cumbrian crooks...

... and their get-away driver

This brings back memories (you had to be there!)

Nasturtiums? I have no idea...

Time I was somewhere else!

Monday 31st August - Liquid lunch on Loughrigg

The first real stretch of my legs following my op. A bright enough day as we set out, but some sneaky weather followed us from the west...

Having left the car on the roadside at Loughrigg Fold, the boys were off on a squirrel chase as swe followed paths around Loughrigg Tarn then through open woodland under Ivy Crag before turning north and gaining height steadily to the knock and lochan plateau of Loughrigg itself. Just befoe topping out a few gusts of wind were followed by a heavy shower which saw us scuttle up to the trig. point and head downhill again without too much delay. The rain soon cleared and we stopped for a quick bite above the trees of Intake Wood. The leaves were just starting to turn so although the views over Loughrigg Tarn and Elterwater are not that extensive, they were pretty special.

A lovely little walk, just right for a late autumn afternoon or crisp winters morning (and another Wainwright ticked off!).

Saturday 8th August 2009 - Changeable weather on Pillar

The forecast suggested a good day and, as we'd not been for a good walk for a while, we'd decided to meet in Wasdale for a look at the tops around Pillar. Leaving my car at Overbeck Bridge, Sue drove us the the Head where, after a quick brew (flask, not vending machine, grrrr!) we headed up into Mosedale under blue but fluffy skies.

The Mosedale Hills with Yewbarrow and the gap of Dore Head to the left, Red Pike and Pillar

From Mosedale, across Wasdale Head toward Illgill Head

The walking on the east side of Mosedale, toward Black Sail pass, is gentle enough with height gained gradually and stunning views back over Wasdale Head with Yewbarrow and Red Pike to the west. What was ominous though was the dark cloud building to the south west and the wind following us from the same direction...

Just below Black Sail pass - before the wind arrives

No sooner did we get onto the ridge proper the wind picked up. The decision to get onto Pillar by the high level path above Ennerdale was the obvious one to go with as it kept us sheltered from the wind and provides great views across Ennerdale to the Buttermere Fells and well beyond.

Black Sail hut and the drumlins at the top of Ennerdale

Soon we were eating lunch - thanks Sue x - by Robinson's Cairn with the Pisgah and High Man, the uppermost parts of Pillar Rock, looming above us. Plenty of other folk wandered past, all heading toward the Shamrock traverse and the summit plateau of Pillar itself.

Plaque unveiled by Cecil Slingsby commemorating one of Lakeland's earliest climbers and guides

The top of Shamrock traverse, Pisgah, the Notch and High Man from Robinson's Cairn

The pull uphill from the Cairn goes surprisingly easily, mostly I suspect due to the interest underfoot! Verging on easy scrambling the situation soon gives great views onto the rocky butresses of the Rock and, today, climbers getting ready to bail from the top in ever-decreasing visibility.

Sue leaving Pisgah and High Man behind

My compass and map came out 30 feet below the plateau so that I could take a quick bearing toward the summit cairn in the wind shadow rather than take a pasting once "over the edge". Despite the precaution, things weren't too bad on the top, though the weather wasn't conducive to hanging about! One group that we'd spoken with earlier had decided to descend into Ennerdale via White Pike rather than the ridge leading back to Black Sail, but, despite having their GPS on the job, were unable to find the path. Having checked their map and working out a compass bearing for the ridge to Black Sail option, the last we saw was them heading back toward White Pike.

We had a think about where next; given the weather and complete lack of view (as might be expected in 50 metre visibility) the most direct way off had to be Wind Gap into Mosedale. So, a quick bearing and off into the clag. Now, today's lesson begins... most direct does NOT mean quickest. In fact, this descent has to be one of the worst I've ever made in the the Lakes; from 2920 feet to 620 feet - that's 2300 feet - in a mile. Thrashing over run-out scree or blocks varying between housebrick and big loaf size. Or thin soil over rock. Just not nice and a quads killer. Next time I'll be staying with the plan and going over Little Scoat Fell, turning towards Red Pike before dropping down to Scoat Tarn at the col unless the weather really kicks up in which case it'll be back the way we came or south east back to Black Sail pass.

Anyways, all's well that ends well and, despite being at Wasdale Head, the cuppa at the bottom definitely went down a treat!

The boys chillin' on Pillar

Post-script: On Sunday night 23 people were led off Pillar, from the Looking Stead area, by members of Wasdale and Cockermouth MRTs. The weather was markedly better than we'd had; their torches were seen from Black Sail Hut and the teams alerted. Apparently this was the 6th incident involving the same Gateshead school and Lakes MRTs in so many years...slow learners or just trying to get closer to their God?